RV tire balancing

[HSpiering]

How important is it to balance RV tires? My OME and on two I have change at different times are not balanced. (I see no lead). I looked at a couple other trailers haven’t noticed wheel weights. I was looking to get two new tires and this company said they included balancing.

 

[mpaulson]

IMO it will make the tires wear more evenly and not vibrate the trailer. You know the feeling when one of you trucks tires are out of balance or have mud on the rim, well that's what your trailer will be getting if the tires are not near perfect from the factory, which they never are. I would balance them for what it's worth cost wise.

 

[BLNRAY]

I would balance for wear and trailer comfort,less vibration even if you can't feel it in the truck,got to be better.

 

[RonD]

If you could ride in your trailer you would understand why to balance the tires, it causes tire wear, and helps vibrate everything loose, it's a cheap investment

 

[Slow Six]

I alwats get mine balanced. I also put in balance beads on the XTAs on our M/S. When I get time I want to get Centramatics for the trailer. Good tires are expensive as is the trailer so a little TLC is a good investment. On the other side of the coin a lot of people look at me like I am crazy for balancing trailer tires but they are also the ones that buy "will pops".

 

[RustyJC]

If it rotates, it should be balanced.

Rusty

 

[GCroyle]

Sub question, look at your (assuming) drums, do they show evidence of balance correction? Weight removed or added?



Don't get me wrong, I think they should be balanced for all of the above reasons, but is your drum or rotor also balanced?



My rigs tires are balanced and I had to specify lug centric not hub hole centering at the time of balancing because that is the balance reference on MY axles. My Dexter rotors do not show evidence of balancing and that is on my list of to-do's time to find a bubble balancer.

 

[jelag]

Gary

You brought up a great point. . in all the ventilated rotors we turned over the years I don't remember seeing much for balance... I do remember some weights between the vents on only 10% (guess) and am wondering if the machine process is so close that balance might not be an issue. . But I don't ever remember seeing a balance weight on a dexter axle drum... like you used to see on a normal drum...

I've changed all my trailers to LT tires and of course their balanced...

Off to MT soon for a week of fishing and than on to Yellowstone and Tetons... . Have fun at work...

 

[mwilson]

We use this in the truck tires, employees put a smaller amount into the tires of personal vehicles, company 1 tons, etc.



The stuff does work. Figured that some of you might find it interesting at least.



http://imiproducts.com/insidelookenglish.html



Mike.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Kind of like Centramatics from the inside

 

[mwilson]

Kind of like Centramatics from the inside

Exactly. It might be an easy thing to add to the 16" trailer tires for peace of mind.



Mike.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Exactly. It might be an easy thing to add to the 16" trailer tires for peace of mind.

Mike.

There is a product like that for bicycle tires (I know bike tires????) but it really helps on the racing type bikes to smooth out high speeds on a 1/8 tire contact at 50MPH

 

[Cummins12V98]

The wheels you have looked at that APPEAR to not be balanced may have the weights taped to the inside surface of the wheel. That is how my new GY G6114 H tires with 17. 5" Alcoa wheels came from trailertiresandwheels.com they use 3M doubleback tape to secure the weights. Leaves the face of the wheel clean.

 

[GCroyle]

Gary



You brought up a great point. . in all the ventilated rotors we turned over the years I don't remember seeing much for balance... I do remember some weights between the vents on only 10% (guess) and am wondering if the machine process is so close that balance might not be an issue. . But I don't ever remember seeing a balance weight on a dexter axle drum... like you used to see on a normal drum...



I've changed all my trailers to LT tires and of course their balanced...



Off to MT soon for a week of fishing and than on to Yellowstone and Tetons... . Have fun at work...

Jim,



This was a bit of a hot topic on an RV forum a while back.



Guys, my rig is equipped with dual axles and 4 piston/caliper Dexter disc brakes and I have checked, the rotors DO NOT show evidence of balance correction. One of my next roundtoits is to take the tires off and bubble balance the rotors. We already tried one on a spin balancer, it got lost trying to figure out the dual plane issue I think.



If you get the drums/rotors balanced, tires balanced, shouldn't matter where you put the tire. But if I have my way, just might try to mark heavy side of rotor and light side of wheel/tire to stagger imbalance rather than potentially stack the imbalances. Jim knows what the match mark concept is from his clutch stuff, right Fisherman Jim?

 

[HSpiering]

Took all four tires off my trailer. I found wheel weights on one tire on the inside. That as the last one I had replaced. It was the same company but a different town that did my first tire. I complained they didn't balance as they should have. Made no difference. Still wanted $15. I got a quote from another company that was $25 less per tire for two new tires and would balance my other for free. So I replaced my last two. Now have all four balanced. In getting quotes from three companies this one was concerned about damage to the wheel bearing with out of balanced tires. This was also my thoughts. I don't put a lot of miles on my trailer but I was a little concerned these last two are Towmaster. Made in China. What I can find out from the reviews they seem to be ok. I think Wally's World sells them also.

 

[mhsmith57]

I don't want to beat a dead horse here but your trailer will track better behind your truck and extend life of tires. It doesn't matter if they're drum or disc. Go to Discount Tire and they'll do it for $25 for all 4 tires.

 

[jelag]

gary

I know your just a kid... . but when I was a young man I ran a Goodyear Tires Store for a few years... we used to balance tires on the car or truck, wheel, drum etc... and yes we would put an index mark on the stud and wheel... This was way before the dual plain spin balancers we use today... As I remember BEAR made them... a 3 or 5 HP motor drove the wheel and the balancer portion installed in the wheel... with the nobs on the balancer you could either increase or decrease the weight and the location on the wheel... As long as you didn't rotate the tires all was well...

I can remember doing all the problem tires...

What I don't understand the devices used today to balance with stuff in the tires, or device with the floating weights on the edge of the rim... . We'd get tires with rubber balls in the tire from the tubless tire liner that was sprayed into the tire... some would work loose and make rubber balls from 1/4" to 1" in diameter... today's technology has long since gotten rid of the problem... I brought this up... because there was no way you could balance this tire... and driving the vehicle down the road would cause a terrible shake during acceleration or de-acceleration as the rubber balls ran around on the inside of the tire and bounced around... So with what I've leaned from practical experience over the years defies my understanding or belief in some of the items sold today...

Georgetown Lake, Gary... a quiet MT lake for trout fishing and watching the eagles... than on to Yellowstone...

 

[BIGNASTY]

http://www.anglerguide.com/montana/georgetownlake.html

 

[NIsaacs]

I can remember doing all the problem tires...





Georgetown Lake, Gary... a quiet MT lake for trout fishing and watching the eagles... than on to Yellowstone...

My first job fresh out of high school, was working for a tractor dealer. My first day I was introduced to a rear tractor tire repair, full of Calcium Chloride mix. Several hours later it was fixed along with my brand new cowboy boots soaking wet. The next morning my boots were a size 3:-laf





In 1976 I hauled logs past that lake from Phillipsburg over the mountain to Anaconda and on to Deerlodge to the mill. This was in an old ex Associated Grocery truck, '63 Pete w/ 250 Cummins. That was a slow pull but loved that backdraft manifold, what a sweet sound



Nick

 

[GCroyle]

gary



I know your just a kid... . but when I was a young man I ran a Goodyear Tires Store for a few years... we used to balance tires on the car or truck, wheel, drum etc... and yes we would put an index mark on the stud and wheel... This was way before the dual plain spin balancers we use today... As I remember BEAR made them... a 3 or 5 HP motor drove the wheel and the balancer portion installed in the wheel... with the nobs on the balancer you could either increase or decrease the weight and the location on the wheel... As long as you didn't rotate the tires all was well...



Georgetown Lake, Gary... a quiet MT lake for trout fishing and watching the eagles... than on to Yellowstone...

Uh Jim, you do have a few more years on me, but I was a gas jockey at a SOHIO station back in '73-74 (remember paper imprinting credit card machines and DING DING bells, but we didn't have S&H Green Stamps) and we had one of those magical on the car balancers with the nobs and the requirement for "skilled hands" you could almost post a picture of that tool in the what is it category and see if the smart phone generation even knows what it is. I wasn't alowwed to touch it myself. But I did use the bubble balancer on a bunch of tires.



I bet you even put pneumatic WingFoots on wood spoked wheels too, eh Jim?



OK, now don't beat me up on the fish (released) photo, the rest of the story, REALLY small retention pond, but the cool thing is the rod and reel IMHO. Wright McGill Trail Master with a Mitchell Garcia 300 spinning reel. My Dad bought a pair of them in the mid '60's got it back out, 1st time in 40+ years. Still has the magic. Thanks Dad.